A man in California was arrested for issuing fraudulent parking tickets to vehicles in the Santa Cruz beach area Wednesday night.
Santa Cruz police said Damian Vela, 19, of Watsonville, was charged with illegal use of a computer system and attempted fraud after he admitted to creating and issuing false parking tickets.
The department said it received reports of fraudulent citations Thursday and began investigating.
Vela was located around 4 p.m. that day in the beach area where he told the police that he committed the crime. Officers also searched his vehicle and found evidence related to the scam.
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The police department said the fake citations included a QR code that directed ticket recipients to a website for payment. Police aren’t sure how many citations Vela issued or if any of the victims paid for the “fake citations.”
When Vela admitted to the crime, he claimed that he did not receive any payment.
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In announcing the arrest, Santa Cruz police shared one of the fraudulent tickets and an official parking citation, so residents could see the differences. The biggest visual difference between the two is that the fake ticket had a palm tree at each end of the “notice”, which was also written in an unofficial font.
A California man has been arrested after he admitted to creating and issuing fake parking tickets (pictured above) in the city of Santa Cruz.
(Santa Cruz Police Department)
Legitimate parking tickets will also have a barcode near the top, along with very detailed sections for information on tickets, vehicles, violations, and payments.
Santa Cruz police release images of legitimate parking tickets after they arrested a 19-year-old for creating and issuing fraudulent tickets.
(Santa Cruz Police Department)
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The department said detectives are looking for additional victims of the fraudulent act. Community members are encouraged to come forward and contact the Investigations Unit at 831-420-5820.
Anyone looking to validate a ticket can call the City of Santa Cruz Parking Office at 831-420-6100 or visit the parking office at 124 Locust Street.
